Beyond Tellurides: Lead Selenide as a High Efficiency Thermoelectric Material for Power Generation and Solid-State Cooling

High Resolution Image Download MS PowerPoint Slide Thermoelectric materials offer a solid-state solution for simultaneous energy harvesting and thermal management, playing a vital role in addressing global energy and environmental challenges. These materials enable efficient conversion of ubiquitous waste heat into electricity and provide silent, localized cooling without moving parts or harmful emissions. Traditional high-performance thermoelectric compounds, such as lead telluride (PbTe) and bismuth telluride (Bi 2 Te 3 ), rely heavily on tellurium, a rare element with a crustal abundance comparable to that of platinum, posing significant limitations for large-scale deployment. In contrast, lead selenide (PbSe), a binary compound composed of more abundant elements, has witnessed remarkable progress in recent years. Notably, n-type PbSe materials have achieved exceptional thermoelectric performance, with figure of merit ( ZT ) values exceeding 1.5 across a broad temperature range from near room temperature to elevated temperatures, surpassing the best telluride-based counterparts. This perspective highlights the key milestones that have driven the advancement of PbSe-based thermoelectrics and discusses the remaining challenges and opportunities for further improving their efficiency and applicability in practical devices.